The Italian “big ride” for cyclists comes to Philly

To the accompaniment of Luciano Pavarotti singing tenor and three Ferrari pace cars humming bass, 1,700 bicyclists tackled the Italian-flavored Gran Fondo Sunday morning, on their way from the Art Museum to the hills of Montgomery County and the quaintest reaches of Chester County.

"Gran fondo" means "big ride," and the Philadelphia event was based on Italian treks that attract masses of cyclists. The local ride, with three routes of different lengths, was the third such event in the United States; the first two were in San Diego.

Billed as a ride, rather than a race, Sunday's Gran Fondo Colnago (sponsor Colnago is an Italian bicycle maker) had competition nonetheless. The male and female riders with the best times up a mile stretch of Welsh Valley Road in Valley Forge were crowned King and Queen of the Mountain.

Those winners were Ben Popper, of Chicago, who climbed the hill in 4:13, and Susan Croswell, Of Gananoque, Ontario, who clocked 5:15.

But for most of the cyclists, Sunday's event was simply a chance to ride in the warm summer sun. For many, it turned out to be a tougher, hillier test than they expected.

"This ride hurt me," said Rich Lolli, 49, of Marlton, after finishing at the front of the pack in the shortest course, the 32-mile piccolo fondo to the Main Line and back to Fairmount Park. "Every time you came around a corner, there was another hill."

"It was a little hillier than I expected," said Mike Hartle, 33, of Phoenixville, who got out of the Army two weeks ago. He finished the 32-mile course in two hours and five minutes, passing lots of riders who dismounted to climb the hills off of Conshohocken State Road.

"There were a couple of hills where about 75 percent of the people were walking," Hartle said. "It was like, 'oh, no, there's another hill.'"

"I love exercise. I love biking," said Dave Stedfast, 58, of Langhorne. A retired scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey, Stedfast was riding with about a dozen other members of the Central Bucks Bicycle Club, distinctive near the front of the pack in yellow and red jerseys.

The club was doing the long course, the 103-mile gran fondo to Harmonyville, Chester County, and back.

Barbara Mako, 49, of West Conshohocken, was testing her stamina as a relatively new rider, tackling the 62-mile middle-distance medio fondo to Valley Forge and back.

"This is my third month of cycling," said Mako. "I love going fast!" Mako said she was attracted by the "excitement of being here" and the chance to ride with the pack through Fairmount Park and west to the suburbs. Her goal: Finish in under five hours.

Bradley Brown, 50, and his father, William Brown, 78, did the 32-mile course. Originally from Reading, the younger Brown now lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

"It's just a way to ride, in Philadelphia, with my father," said Bradley. "We've ridden together in Trek bike rides in Wisconsin... It's good exercise. I used to run, but this is easier on the hips and knees."

Riders paid $99 to enter, or $250 for a package that included dinner Saturday at Apollinare restaurant in Northern Liberties with Italian Olympic gold medalists Jury Chechi (gymnastics) and Antonio Rossi (canoeing).

Part of the proceeds of the event will go to the American Melanoma Foundation and, locally, to the Sbarro Health Research Organization, based on the Temple University campus.

"It's really a testament to the cycling community here," said Rob Klingensmith, of San Diego, the co-founder of Gran Fondo USA. "The first race in San Diego last year had 1,200 riders, so to get 1,700 riders here is great."

This year's race in San Diego drew 3,200 riders, said Klingensmith, a melanoma survivor and a marketing vice-president at Active.com, one of the main event sponsors.

Margaret Hughes, Philadelphia's deputy city representative, said city officials hoped the event would return in the future.

"We're pleased and proud that Philadelphia was chosen for this," Hughes said. "We hope to see it continue as the years go by." She noted that, unlike the annual Philadelphia International Championship professional race each June, the Gran Fondo Colnago is for amateurs.

"They're in it for the pure love of the sport."

Hughes said the city hasn't tabulated the financial benefit of hosting the event, but she said spending on hotels, restaurants and entertainment had "the potential, absolutely, to enhance the bottom line."

William Bowen, 42, a teacher from Perth Amboy, N.J., was among those leaving some money behind in Philadelphia. He said he was impressed by the city and the region.

"We're staying over tonight and leaving tomorrow," he said, catching his breath at the finish. "We've got a lot planned."

Jennifer Cycak, 28, and husband Ryan Mich, 28, of Cookstown, Burlington County, were awed by the scenery, they said.

"It's a beautiful area. The houses were gorgeous," said Cycak after finishing the 32-mile course.

Riders of all ages and sizes, on bikes of all sorts, pedalled away from the starting line in front of the Art Museum steps at 7 a.m. Sunday.

A recording of Pavarotti singing his signature aria, Nessum dorma, seranaded the riders as they circled Eakins Oval behind three Ferrari pace cars and then headed upriver along Kelly Drive. An orange AgustaWestland helicopter, made by the sponsoring Italian company that has an assembly plant in norhteast Philadelphia, hovered overhead.

At the finish, riders climbed the last hill to Memorial Hall between the pillared statues of Civil War generals George Meade and John Reynolds, grabbed bottles of water and hunted for shade.

The Browns arrived at the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park in three hours and 25 minutes, tired but satisfied.

"It was hillier than I thought it was going to be," said the elder Brown. His son said the final hill to the park's plateau was an unpleasant surprise, but he said he and his father hoped to ride in the event again.

"I hope it's not the first and last," he said.

Contact staff writer Paul Nussbaum at 215-854-4587 or pnussbaum@phillynews.com